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The Sound of a Black Hole

Posted by michael on from the subwoofer dept.

Snags writes "Astronomers have used the Chandra X-ray Observatory to observe the deepest, lowest-frequency sound waves ever observed. By my calculations, the 'B-Flat 57 octaves below middle-C' has a period of 9.8 million years. Despite arguments that explosions in space movies should be silent, it is legitimate to call these sound waves because at that frequency, particles of space dust can 'see' each other through gravity. These notes are 'over a million billion times deeper than the limits of human hearing', so to call it infra-sound would be a bit of an understatement."

14 of 78 comments (clear)

  1. That explains! by orkysoft · · Score: 5, Funny

    Infrasound! Now that explains why many people have this irrational fear of black holes! :-)

    --

    I suffer from attention surplus disorder.
  2. My vivid imagination... by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    When I read "The Sound of a Black Hole"
    the sound I heard in my mind was "oh shit there's a black hole!"

  3. Re:Wow - and I thought Germany had a long concert by menscher · · Score: 2, Funny

    "The performance follows a legal case in which composer Mike Batt was forced to pay a six-figure sum to Cage's publishers, who accused him of plagiarising a silent piece of music." And we thought SCO was bad!

  4. GSS by falsification · · Score: 5, Funny
    B-Flat 57 octaves below middle-C

    AKA "a giant sucking sound."

  5. B-Flat 57 octaves below middle-C? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    B-Flat 57 octaves below middle-C, and it's the sound of a black hole. My , they've discovered the brown note!

    Umm, sorry for that...

  6. No matter. by bobdotorg · · Score: 4, Funny

    My extreme audiophile friend now has to replace his whole system to capture the experience of these new sounds.

    --
    __ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
    1. Re:No matter. by mlush · · Score: 2, Funny
      My extreme audiophile friend now has to replace his whole system to capture the experience of these new sounds.

      Make that replace his whole Star system.

  7. Alien by DeltaStorm · · Score: 2, Funny

    In space no once can hear you hum...

    --
    .sdrawkcab si gis siht
  8. Re:Wow - and I thought Germany had a long concert by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Imagine the monks 630 years from now going - "Well, this is over now - what the hell are we going to do now ?"

    Bass solo.

  9. Concert by Molina+the+Bofh · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wouldn't buy tickets to a music-playing blackhole concert. They suck.

    --

    -
    Roses are #FF0000, Violets are #0000FF, find / -name '*base*' |xargs chown -R us && mv zig greatjustice
    1. Re:Concert by danratherfan · · Score: 4, Funny

      I don't know. I liked their one and only album "Songs from the Singularity".

  10. Re:On the team by FrostedWheat · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm on the team that did this. Ask any questions you like!

    Would you like some toast?

    -Talkie Toaster

  11. Re:On the team by xiox · · Score: 3, Funny

    Look, I don't want any toast, and he doesn't want any toast. In fact, no one around here wants any toast. Not now, not ever. No toast!

    Or muffins! Or muffins! We don't like muffins around here! We want no muffins, no toast, no teacakes, no buns, baps, baguettes or bagels, no croissants, no crumpets, no pancakes, no potato cakes and no hot-cross buns and definitely no smegging flapjacks!

  12. B Flat by Aspasia13 · · Score: 1, Funny

    If you were in a black hole, you'd B Flat too!